


les poissons

by amasveritas



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fish Puns, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 01:13:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2047521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amasveritas/pseuds/amasveritas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It's rather telling, is it not?" Killian goes on, leaning his forearms against the wooden railing. "That your beloved spends his days gutting your family."</p>
            </blockquote>





	les poissons

"Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me, Killian?"

" _That_."

The two of them stand on the docks in the early morning sun, watching as the man formerly known as Prince Eric brings his blade down in a strong, quick movement, chopping the head of a fish clean off.

It’s become something of a routine for her; Ariel wanders down to the docks, taking in the sea air that reminds her so much of home, only to be distracted by the workers - Prince Eric, among them. She stays there, watching him in some form of twisted curiosity all morning as he desecrates fish after fish.

Of course, Killian has taken it upon himself (at Belle’s insistence, after she so carefully reminded him of her trip to the hospital and subsequent loss of memory) to guide Ariel through this tangle of emotion. Killian still isn’t sure how he got himself caught up in this mess - and he sure as hell isn’t sure why he’s listening to Rumplestiltskin’s bride in the first place - but he finds himself rather misguided when it comes to the little mermaid.

Her normally flushed cheeks are pale, and Ariel flinches as the blade sticks into the table with a loud 'thwack!' Her face contorts in a miserable grimace, eyes never straying from the marvelous display of brutality.

"No, it doesn't bother me," she says, not at all convincingly.

Killian snorts. “Are you certain? Because, if you don’t mind me saying-”

“I do mind.”

“-you’re looking rather green about the gills.”

He doesn't even try to avoid her hand; Killian deserves it, as usual. The hit lands on his shoulder, though there was nothing behind it. Ariel wasn't violent by any means, but he has a way of bringing that side out of her.

"That's not funny," Ariel huffs, folding her arms across her chest. She tries her best not to smile, and fails terribly.

"So, you will not stand for a harmless joke," Killian goes on, waving his hook in Eric's direction, "but this lovely display doesn’t concern you?"

Ariel shifts uncomfortably, and Killian knows he has caught her out. It was never his intention to cause her distress, but if it helps her realise the true cause of her misery, so be it.

Far too engrossed in his beheading, Eric hasn't noticed them watching him for the better part of an hour; in fact, there isn’t much he notices about Ariel, like the mere fact that his occupation disturbs her more than she cares to admit.

“It's rather telling, is it not?" Killian goes on, leaning his forearms against the wooden railing. "That your beloved spends his days gutting your family."

Ariel clicks her tongue in frustration, finally tearing her gaze away from her prince and turning to Killian. "It’s not his fault; Belle told me that Regina was responsible for the curse, and that she was the one to turn him into..."

She trails off, eyes back on Eric. He digs his knife into the stomach of a fish, slicing upwards in one smooth motion. The innards tumble out onto the workbench as Ariel lets out a small groan.

"Yes, our dear Regina has a wonderful sense of humor," Killian says dryly.

“This is all Belle’s doing, isn’t it?” Ariel sighs angrily. “I mentioned it to her once and she thinks I need help.”

“Ah,” he grins in triumph, shaking his finger towards her. “So it does bother you!”

She ignores that. “And I don’t know why she asked for _your_ assistance.”

“I’m doing you a favour, Ariel, so you can stop glaring at me whenever you like.”

“A favour?” Ariel chuckles. “What’s in it for you? You never do anything unless there’s something in it for you.”

Killian clutches at his heart quite melodramatically. “You wound me. Though,” he smirks, “not as much as Eric is wounding your cousin over there. Or is it a brother?”

Ariel hits him in the arm again, and Killian just laughs. As usual, she cannot keep a straight face as she swings, quickly dissolving into a fit of giggles. Part of his duties in all of this, Killian has decided, is to make her laugh again. Belle described to him (in great detail) how unhappy Ariel has been feeling since reuniting with her prince. She would never divulge the source of her misery, but Belle suspected it had to do with Eric and his penchant for fishing.

How right she was.

Ariel runs her hands through her hair, focusing on Eric once more. "I guess he could've stopped..." she mumbles, more to herself than to Killan, "once he got his memories back. Maybe I hurt him too much, maybe he’s right to still be mad.”

“I think any man would be a fool to remain angry with you,” he replies.

Her smile is bright, and he feels as though he has a larger stake in this than a simple kindness to Belle.

“Mind you,” Killian continues, “I think Eric is a fool regardless.”

“Stop it,” Ariel laughs softly.

“I don’t know what you see in him,” he says, frowning.

She bristles. “I’m sorry?”

“He’s quite...plain.”

“He’s not plain,” Ariel says too quickly. “Eric is kind-”

“Boring.”

“- and smart-”

“Simple.”

“-and good-”

“Currently taking a knife to one of your ancestors.”

“For the last time, I am not related to--”

Her words die on her tongue as she inspects the Prince once more. She’s silent for a short moment, watching Eric continue with his work, wiping his hands on his blood-stained apron. Ariel’s eyes narrow slightly, and Killian thinks that, just maybe, he has finally reached her. But Ariel shuts her mouth and simply shakes her head.

“Let’s get out of here,” she says instead, shoving her hands in the pocket of her coat. “I need stop doing this.”

Killian pushes himself off the railing, following behind Ariel as she leaves the docks. “What did you have in mind?” He smirks. “Any way I can be of assistance?”

Ariel scoffs. “In your dreams.”

“Indeed, love. I do enjoy our time together in the evenings.”

“Killian…” she warns, smiling nonetheless.

“I await it with _baited_ breath.”

“I will hit you again if you don’t stop saying things like that.”

“I promise you, it wasn’t on _porpoise_ \- ow!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Of course Killian likes puns. OF COURSE HE DOES. 
> 
> I had to stop myself with this, because I could have gone on and on about how basic and how not good for Ariel Eric is. This was meant to be a little ficlet and I made sure it was.
> 
> And in my universe, Belle is the #1 supporter of Hook/Ariel because why not.


End file.
